A cutting machine 100 used to cut a sheet material such as a knitted fabric and woof is conventionally known (see FIG. 7). The cutting machine 100 is a device that automatically performs a series of operations of carrying in a stacked sheet material from a carry-in side air table 2 to a conveyor table 1, cutting the sheet material on a brush surface 1s of the conveyor table 1 with a cutting mechanism 4, and carrying out the cut sheet material from the conveyor table 1 to a carry-out side air table 3. The air tables 2, 3 of the configuration of the cutting machine 100 are configured to push up the sheet material by blowing air from the surface of the tables 2, 3 towards the sheet material placed on the surface to facilitate the carry-in and the carry-out of the sheet material. The conveyor table 1, on the other hand, is configured to absorb the sheet material by suctioning air from the surface of the brush surface 1s so that the sheet material does not position shift when cutting the sheet material. The surface of the stacked sheet material is covered with a vinyl cover to enhance the suction force of the sheet material by the conveyor table 1.
As described in FIG. 12 of Patent Document 1, a conventional conveyor table in the cutting machine is configured to include a caterpillar track including a pair of sprockets arranged on the carry-in side and the carry-out side and a chain bridged across the sprockets, a brush mount attached to a link of one part of the chain, and a bristle block (brush block) arrayed on the brush mount. In the conveyor table described in FIG. 12 of the document, the brush mount has the central part attached to every three links of the chain.
In such a configuration, however, a difference in level occurs between the conveyor table and the air table since the track drawn by the upper edge on the carry-in side of the brush block greatly bulges out at the corner portion of the caterpillar track on the carry-out side, as shown in FIG. 13 of the document. Although not shown in the document, the upper end on the carry-out side of the brush blocks also greatly bulges out at a corner portion of the caterpillar track on the carry-in side. Thus, the stacked sheet material may collapse when passing the difference in level thereby breaking the stacked state of the sheet material.
In the technique described in Patent Document 1, the brush mount is configured to be able to oscillate and displace with respect to the link of the chain, to which the brush mount is attached (see FIGS. 1, 5 of the document). The track drawn by the brush block is prevented from greatly bulging out by oscillating and displacing the brush mount at the corner portion of the caterpillar track. As a result, the difference in level between the conveyor table and the air table is made small compared to the conventional configuration as shown in FIGS. 12, 13 of the document.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 6-305620